General COVID-19 Topic

[Darkfrog]

Got my second Pfizer microchip injection this morning. So far no side effects, but it's pretty gloomy and wet where I am right now, so not a bad day to rest indoors if the side effects do come.

[David in FL]

2 minutes ago, iacas said:

Then you’re not paying attention.

Help me understand.  

The virus is going to continue to mutate.  We will never achieve a 100% vaccination rate, and even if we did, the vaccine will never be 100% effective in either stopping people from getting the virus, or in keeping them from passing it along.

At what point do we say that we simply accept that it is what it is. Or do we never do so?

 

[Braivo]

48 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

Braivo and David in FL... out of curiosity, and nosiness, do the two of you intend to get vaccinated when the vaccine is offered to you young pups?

Yes. 

[StuM]

1 hour ago, iacas said:

Like I’ve said, @David in FL, it’s all on a sliding scale, with science as the guideline.

We’re close. Let’s not Leon Lett it now.

 

43 minutes ago, David in FL said:

I honestly don’t know what that means.  

I will admit, I had to visit the Urban Dictionary, it means :

 

leon lett

Having a major brain lapse....twice!

Pulling a Leon Lett.

 

Basically, let's not do something stupid to screw things up just as we are getting close to success.

[Darkfrog]

9 minutes ago, David in FL said:

The virus is going to continue to mutate.

That's why vaccination now is critical before it potentially mutates into a variant that evades the current vaccine, at which point we Leon Lett this thing. The entire point of all the restrictive measures, which I don't like either, but abide by for the greater good, is to get the R₀  to a value where the virus will go extinct on it's own due to not enough hosts.

If we had done extensive testing, contact tracing, and quarantining a year ago, along with common sense measures like mask adoption, we would have likely never even gotten to this point with a half million Americans dead.

Edited March 18, 2021 by Darkfrog

[dennyjones]

Leon Lett video  

 

doh!

[Double Mocha Man]

16 minutes ago, Darkfrog said:

Got my second Pfizer microchip injection this morning. So far no side effects, but it's pretty gloomy and wet where I am right now, so not a bad day to rest indoors if the side effects do come.

Keep us posted, unless you're hanging over a toilet...

[NCGolfer]

1 hour ago, iacas said:

Like I’ve said, @David in FL, it’s all on a sliding scale, with science as the guideline.

We’re close. Let’s not Leon Lett it now.

I'd agree here.  According to the Cleveland Clinic (science), it will take anywhere between 50-80% to reach herd immunity.  I'm optimistic given the early results that the vaccine is doing its job.  Very interested to see what happens in countries when they hit that 50% rate.  Israel hit it a week ago so giving it a few more weeks (to be effective in those that got the vaccine and see results) will be telling.

We won't reach 100% vaccination rate.  That shouldn't be the goal...there will always be people that will turn it down and you can't legally force vaccinations.  Employers can though and there might be some sort of requirement for travel so life can be made hard for those that opt out.

Vaccinating as many people as possible as fast as possible, looking at subsequent data (case numbers, hospitalizations, etc.) is what we have to keep our focus on.  I actually feel very optimistic about where we will be at the end of spring/beginning of summer.

[boogielicious]

35 minutes ago, David in FL said:

At what point do we say that we simply accept that it is what it is. Or do we never do so?

32,500 people have died in Florida from COVID-19. Explain to the relatives of those who died that they should just accept it for what it is when masks and vaccines can prevent another 32,500 from dying. 

[David in FL]

38 minutes ago, StuM said:

 

I will admit, I had to visit the Urban Dictionary, it means :

 

leon lett

Having a major brain lapse....twice!

Pulling a Leon Lett.

 

Basically, let's not do something stupid to screw things up just as we are getting close to success.

I knew what that meant. I just have no idea what Erik means when he says “it’s a sliding scale” but can’t give any explanation of what the criteria and metrics might be on that scale.  
 

The feeling that I get from most people when I asked the same question is, “whenever the CDC tells me I can“.   Again, if we don’t know what the threshold is, we have no idea if we are close or not. Or for that matter, whether it’s even attainable.

Edited March 18, 2021 by David in FL

[StuM]

1 minute ago, David in FL said:

I knew what that meant. I just have no idea what Erik means when he says “it’s a sliding scale” but can’t give any explanation of what the criteria and metrics might be on that scale.  
 

The feeling that I get from most people when I asked the same question is, “whenever the CDC tells me I can“.   

I'll let @iacasexpand on it but expect the metrics to include vaccination rates, trend in new cases, impact of new strains, etc. to gradually reduce restrictions over time as opposed to "Flipping a light switch" and just doing away with them all at one time.  And yes, a lot of that will come through the CDC since they are the ones monitoring the data and have more expertise in the area than many of us non-medical people (at least more than those that slept at a Holiday Inn). 

[iacas]

50 minutes ago, David in FL said:

Help me understand.

Because you’ve shown such a long history of being rational on topics like this? 😄 Let’s just say you’re not socially distanced from going full conspiracy theory at a moment’s notice, eh? 😉

50 minutes ago, David in FL said:

We will never achieve a 100% vaccination rate

Let’s try to avoid straw men.

50 minutes ago, David in FL said:

At what point do we say that we simply accept that it is what it is. Or do we never do so?

If I had the answer to that, I’d probably be on the news and being consulted by politicians, business leaders, world governments, etc. left and right.

I think the point of what I’ve been saying is clear. If you get the Leon Lett reference, you should understand what I’m saying.

@StuM and @NCGolfer seem to get what I’m saying.

[Billy Z]

1 hour ago, Darkfrog said:

Got my second Pfizer microchip injection this morning. So far no side effects, but it's pretty gloomy and wet where I am right now, so not a bad day to rest indoors if the side effects do come.

lol, microchip injection?

[iacas]

2 minutes ago, Billy Z said:

lol, microchip injection?

Yes, the conspiracy theory joke… Bill Gates, etc.?

[Billy Z]

1 minute ago, iacas said:

Yes, the conspiracy theory joke… Bill Gates, etc.?

That's just something that couldn't happen. Too many people are involved in creating, manufacturing, and administering the vaccine for this to happen. 

[David in FL]

2 minutes ago, Billy Z said:

That's just something that couldn't happen. Too many people are involved in creating, manufacturing, and administering the vaccine for this to happen. 

Next you’re going to tell me that you really believe that we landed a man on the moon and that the earth is not flat!

 

  😂😂

Edited March 18, 2021 by David in FL

[Darkfrog]

1 minute ago, iacas said:

Yes, the conspiracy theory joke… Bill Gates, etc.?

☝️ This.

4 minutes ago, Billy Z said:

That's just something that couldn't happen. Too many people are involved in creating, manufacturing, and administering the vaccine for this to happen. 

I know, trust me. I was being tongue and cheek. As someone who has been involved in biotechnology research and manufacturing for my entire career, including therapeutic proteins, cell therapy, gene therapy, and vaccines (including recently mRNA technology), I am amused by the conspiracies and skepticism about the pharma industry and scientific industries in general.

[Billy Z]

8 minutes ago, Darkfrog said:

☝️ This.

I know, trust me. I was being tongue and cheek. As someone who has been involved in biotechnology research and manufacturing for my entire career, including therapeutic proteins, cell therapy, gene therapy, and vaccines (including recently mRNA technology), I am amused by the conspiracies and skepticism about the pharma industry and scientific industries in general.

Yes, I knew you were joking, but it is amazing how some people actually believe it to be true. So many false conspiracies theories out there.